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FAQs on Carbon Filtration, Renewal/Life
Related FAQs: Carbon 1,
Carbon 2,
& FAQs on Carbon: Rationale/Use,
Types/Qualities/Selection,
Placement, Negative Reactions,
Sources/Brands, &
Marine
Chemical Filtrants
Related Articles: Marine Chemical Filtrants,
Zeolite
Filters: A Discussion of What Zeolites Are and How They Function by
Jens Kallmeyer, The
ZEOvit System: A New Concept in Reefkeeping by Alexander Girz,
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Depending on initial quality, quantity... the bio-load, other water
chemistry... carbon is "exhausted" minutes to hours after application...
still useful biologically however. Not worthwhile for home hobbyists to try
to recharge. |
Reactivate Activated Carbon?
– 11/24/07
Hello crew, John here.
<<Hey John, Eric here>>
I have a question.
<<Okay>>
Is there any way I can reactivate activated carbon, so I don't have to keep
buying it all the time?
<<I’ve wondered that myself before…and from what I recall the process (extremely
high temperatures/pressures), as well as the expense involved, render this
impractical…at least for hobbyists>>
Thanks for your time,
John. Happy Holidays.
<<Happy to help. EricR>>
Recharging Chemi-Pure? –
11/25/07
Hello all,
<<Morning Whit>>
Thanks in advance for your help.
<<A pleasure>>
I was wondering if there is any way to recharge Chemi-Pure?
<<Not that I am aware>>
I have looked and looked, but can’t find any information.
<<This product is a combination of carbon and an ion-exchange resin. It’s not
possible/practical/economical for the hobbyist to regenerate carbon (requires
considerable investment in a multiple-hearth furnace capable of generating
temperatures of 800 °C)…and while it “is” possible to regenerate the
ion-exchange resin (generally an overnight soak in a bleach solution), the
effort required to separate the tiny resin beads from the carbon will likely
prove to be non-worthwhile>>
Also, what are your thoughts regarding original Chemi-Pure, and the new
Chemi-Pure Elite.
<<I think the original Chemi-Pure is great stuff…the efficacy of the new “Elite”
version with the added iron-based phosphate remover remains to be seen>>
Is the Elite worth the cost difference?
<<At almost twice the price with a 17% increase in volume (10oz vs. 11.74oz) I’m
inclined to stick with the original, and purchase an iron-based phosphate
remover separately to be run/maintained in a separate reactor>>
Thanks!
Whit
<<Glad to assist. EricR>>
Thermal Reactivation of Carbon
Hello all, I have a quick question as to the re-use of carbon in my reef
tank. <Yes, surely> The use of granular activated* carbon (GAC) tends to
be the best
available method for removing dissolved organics and some inorganic
chemicals from our reef tanks by adsorption. It is assumed that the
inorganic chemicals are removed through a properly functioning RO/DI
process and are not re-introduced into the reef system at another stage.
Organics are introduced by various biological processes which are
occurring in the reef system. When those organics have saturated the
available GAC and it has reached its breakpoint, shouldn't it be
possible to regenerate the GAC with the application of heat to burn up
the organic molecules which have been captured? <In a lab environment,
certainly> In water treatment
applications it is mentioned that GAC can be reactivated but at an
interval of 1 to 2 years. Any thoughts on this matter?
<I have heard many thought on the re-activation of carbon, both in home and
in laboratory environments. I'm not certain why I haven't heard about
home success regarding this. In the business world, I believe
something called a "Carbon Reactivation Kiln" is used, but they're
typically a custom made item. This leads me to assume that the
resources for obtaining new carbon are less costly than re-activating saturated
carbon. I would encourage you to keep the flow of information coming-
Much research on matters like this is unavailable to the daily aquarist because
it's private research. It's in my nature to encourage recycling and
reusing extinguishable resources. Thanks for contributing, Ryan
Bowen>
Thanks for any information you can supply.
<It's not much, but perhaps this is a good starting point: http://webstore.ansi.org/ansidocstore/product.asp?sku=ASTM+D6781-02>
David McFadden
Dallas, Texas
* The term activated refers to the high-temperature removal of tarry
substances from the interior of the carbon granule, leaving a highly
porous structure.
Carbon use 3/11/05
Just a quick question about carbon use. I'm planning to use one of the WWM
FAQs recommended brand in small amount on a continuous basis changing it maybe each two weeks.
<changing small amounts (weekly) frequently is always better than larger monthly>
I understand it is better to have the water forced through it instead of dropping the bag in the sump.
<correct... unless it is only used for color/odor control>
However, I don't want to kill/trap plankton by forcing the whole flow of water through it.
<a small concern>
Same for the use of a hang on power filter with carbon.
<easily avoided by putting a foam block on the intake... extend the life of chemical media too!>
Maybe block part of the water flow with the bag of carbon, but water following the easiest path I
don't know if it's much different than dropping the bag in the sump.
<over thought... no worries>
And then again, some plankton are going to be pushed and trap on/in the bag. What's the best plankton-friendly option for me?
Thanks!!! Dominique
<best regards, Anthony>
- Carbon Use, Follow-up
Bob,
<JasonC here in his stead.>
I took your advice and bought the canister filter (Hot magnum) I will probably use it once a month and let it run for a few days with carbon. Do you think I should dispose of the carbon after using it for a couple of days or would it still be good to use a few more times?
<Nope... the carbon is pretty much spent after 24 hours. Does all the good it's going to do in those first couple of days. Do not re-use.>
Thanks again for your help!
<Cheers, J -- >
Carbon in a marine tank 9/23/05
A quick question: I've read through the Conscientious Marine Aquarist and
your website. In the book it says that activated carbon has an effective
life of two to three months. But in a few of the answers to daily questions
recently it was stated that in a marine tank carbon only has an effective
life of 24 hours. Is there a definitive answer? <The quality of the carbon has a
lot to do with how much dissolved waste it can absorb. The bio-load of the tank
the carbon is being used on is another factor along with whether a protein
skimmer is being used in conjunction with the carbon. There is really no
realistic time span that carbon is effective. Case in point. Chemi-Pure claims
a six month life. Two months max for me. Not saying it's not effective for six
months, just not in my tank. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks for you help!
Berlin style set-up/carbon
Bob-
As a follow up question regarding mechanical filtration:
I have a Magnum with a canister filter. My plan was to use it two - three days a
month with carbon. When I remove the carbon should I replace the canister with
the regular filter and run it all the time? I always thought that this would be
an ideal place for waste build-up resulting in higher phosphates, etc...
Also, what type of carbon do you recommend?
Thanks again,
Rob
<Ah, good to hear... If it were me, I'd just leave the Magnum running
continuously, replacing the carbon once a month (though it will be exhausted in
a few hours...). I would place the carbon in a Dacron/polyester bag (many units
already come in one), behind a layer or disposable filter fiber, and before two
grades of permanent (but washable) Eheim Fein and Grob flocken (great plastic
media that lasts... forever)...
Bob Fenner>
Carbon
Dear Bob,
There are a lot of opinions on the use of carbon in a reef tank. Some say use it
all the time, others say every other month, some say not at all. Even the amount
to use is a mystery. What is your opinion? I'd like to know if I should use it
all the time, how much to use, and which brand is gives the most "bang for
the buck".
Thanks again,
Tony
>
Thanks for asking... IMO, most people, for most types of set-ups would/will
receive sufficient "bang for the buck" advantage in using activated
carbon about once a month... the amount is of course going to vary depending on
the livestock, feeding, other filtration, quality of carbon... and much more...
but something in the way of about a ounce per ten gallons of real system water
(minus decor) is about right... On our old service company accounts we used to
have two units of Chemipure (one older, up to two months, the other the newer,
less than one month old) replacing the oldest one every month.
My favorite brand, bar none is the HR (High Retention) Carbon sold by Tropical
Marine Centre out of the UK (distributed in the US by other folks). This superb
product holds onto undesirable materials but doesn't interfere with alkalinity
or biominerals... an important claim. Place such "free" activated
carbon in a reusable Dacron/polyester bag.
Bob Fenner, who could go on
Activated Carbon
I'm confused about the use of activated carbon in my marine aquarium. The
advice I have read/heard ranges from activated carbon is only good for a
couple of days and then should be thrown out to keeping activated carbon up
to two months. I have a hang on power filter and would like to know what is
the proper use of activated carbon under normal operating conditions, as
well as it's other applicable uses.
>
You can read my take on activated carbons and other chemical filtrants posted in
articles, et al. on the site: www.wetwebmedia.com
For the short version: Activated carbon is a useful material to use, generally
periodically to remove excess organics... Most forms have the shortcoming of
removing too much in the way of biominerals and other useful materials as well.
Even the best activated carbons only "last" minutes to hours in actual
application. So "over-using" them is of small concern... unless you're
switching out your AC every day...
Most folks who do use carbon, as I say, do so on a periodic basis... I suggest
once a month... And yes, there are "rules of thumb" about how much AC
can/should be applied in a filter flow path... The best "assays" are
you and your livestock. For you, looking at a piece of white paper, end to end
through the long path of your fish tank, before and after the carbon will
surprise you... the water will be much less "yellow"... For your
livestock, closely observing their reaction to water quality will tell you about
how much carbon you ought to use, how frequently.
One stipulation here... be careful to not "overuse" carbon... in terms
of improving water quality in the way of strikingly improving light
transmission... the first time out, it isn't too hard to actually photo-shock
(burn) your photosynthetic livestock.
Bob Fenner
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